isn't there any way to make a decent movie without the vulgar talk?

I live in Hawaii and work in construction. Foul language is quite common here, and adds color to an otherwise dull, derivative, typically white-bread sentence. The "f-word" is merely a modifier- it is not new, and nothing to get bent about. *beep* is a word that only an East London scrapper can use and sound charming and eloquent (Okay- Aussies and Kiwis also can pull this off- and Scots and the Irish)just like only a black man can say the "N" word and make it sound poetic and just. You really can't have a sentence with "Haole" in it (for the latins, that is "gringo"- for the Euros it's "Yank" or for the aussies "seppo"- though that is pretty much 90s parlance)without the word "Fajuckin'" in it (yes I modified the word so it would not be censored- use your imagination.)

Profanity is colorful and vibrant, and a world without profanity would be like a world that was painted entirely gray.

betsyvv-1: I'm glad you asked this question! I entirely agree with you. I'm a firm believer that film influences society more than society influences film. Ten to fifteen years ago, I heard more foul language in films than on the streets. But now, sadly, it seems to be in equal measure. It used to offend me greatly but as with any over-used word, it loses all meaning and with it, much of the shock value. Vulgarity is essentially lazy language. It's easier to say "*beep* this!" than to take the time to say you're upset or irritated or whatever mood the word is meant to convey in that moment. As posters, we are all in a way writers and appreciate the power of communication through the written word. There would be less bad language in general if this lesson is learned well in the classroom, and at home. But it's never too late to pick up a good book and/or practice more polished grammar and speech.

Regarding your list of recommended films... were you asking about this same genre? I would pick a crime/gangster movie from the 1940s any day over a modern movie like London Boulevard. They were low budget back in those days but more attention to detail was spent on plot and dialogue. Villains shaved,(shocking, isn't it?) wore suits & hats and nasty words were pretty mild. Anything with Alan Ladd, Bogart, Greenstreet and Lorre...so many good films back then. "This Gun for Hire" and "Mask of Dimitrios" stand out in my mind but there are many, many other good movies from this particular era.

Thanks again for your excellent post; your question made me really think and that's always a good thing...thinking stimulates good language. :)

[deleted]

clearly you don't get out too often. at any given moment almost anywhere you will hear "vulgar" language of one sort or another. if you are looking for movies with no rough language i suggest looking elsewhere other than a crime/action movie....it comes with the territory, just because you look down upon such language doesn't mean that it is not used with the same frequency, if not even greater in some cases as in this movie, personally i consider this pretty tame compared to some of the things i've heard.

what difference do "bad words" make? who cares.

Calm down, this isn't Sunday School. If you don't like cussing, then maybe you should watch something that isn't about violent criminals.

[deleted]